Q: Tell us a little about yourself and what you do!A: I’m a freelance audio engineer and sound designer based in Seattle, WA. I’ve lent my ears to all sorts of projects over the years, but all of that has led to a focus on creating sound design for indie games. I’m constantly collecting new sounds, whether it’s through field recordings, random stuff I find in thrift shops and antique stores, or just stuff I have in my pantry! I use a lot of imagination to smash them all together and create something new for whatever I’m working on

Q: What inspired you to want to work with Raconteur on Traiteur?A: The importance they placed on a game’s story really spoke to me, both as a developer and a player. All the games that I really love had a great story at their core, and built a world around that. This team is also incredibly passionate and truly believes in what they are creating. I knew that we came into games with a similar spirit, and that if we put our heads together, we could create something really special and fulfilling.

Q: Describe the game in 10 words or less.A: An ASCII quest for human understanding.

Q: How does an ASCII aesthetic affect the sound style and overall atmosphere for what you’re creating?A: It really sets the tone for the game, and the fact that we’ve chosen not to go with the 8 bit sound aesthetic sets a really interesting challenge. I have to think about how I can match the whimsy and wonder of the art, but not make it so cute or sci-fi that it feels like I haven’t been dropped into a real world. What do real, adorable, deadly weapons sound like?

Q: What’s the most unique and/or strangest thing you’ve experienced thus far on the project?A: This team’s passion is certainly infectious! It’s been a really fun creative process to figure out how to make these sounds. Nick will give me keywords to draw from in most cases, and I’ll take those and figure how to create what we need. It’s led to a lot of really fun sound experiments, with everything from toucan squawks to ribbon synths!

Q: Why on earth do you think someone should play this game when it’s done?!A: There are echoes of a lot of games and stories from my childhood that made me feel nostalgic despite the fact that I’ve never played a game like this before. It makes for a really unique experience, and the wonderful story surrounding the world makes you ask a lot of big questions about human nature, without even realizing it!

Thanks to Elise for being the star of this week’s blog post! You can learn more about her work at her website.

We hope you’ve gotten more insight into Traiteur.

Tune in next week for a continued look into the game’s production and our processes.

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